The magic of the beautifully heartfelt epistolary novel is not merely that it perfectly captures the early 1990s and how so many of us struggled to make sense of what we were learning about the war in Sarajevo at the time, nor that it also deftly illustrates and evokes the sometimes painful journey of finding …
I grew up in the shadow of mountains, along the mucky edges of the Nisqually River Delta on the outskirts of Olympia. On a rare clear day, you could see the Olympics to the West. Mount Rainier towered to the East. Our rambler abutted a tract of undeveloped forest land near Luhr Beach. Expansive, wild, …
I’m so excited to share this graphic novel with customers– it’s exciting, tender, beautifully rendered in every way. It works well for middle schoolers and high schoolers, plus all the adults who enjoy family drama, origin stories, and the paranormal. Bonus: When you read this, you support a debut, local author! — Tegan Tigani, Queen …
We’ll cut to the chase: Jessica Anya Blau may have written one of the best novels of the year, in our opinion. Mary Jane follows its titular character, a 14-year-old girl growing up in 1970s Baltimore who is offered a summer nanny job for the hippie family down the street. Forced to come to terms …
This is a true story about a girl who was sent to live in Japan with her grandmother for six months. Waka is very funny, and it was very interesting reading about what Japan was like for Japanese Americans in the ’80s. Definitely made we want to visit Japan someday! –Hailey, Liberty Bay Books, Poulsbo, …
When I was fifteen, my parents returned to South Korea and left me behind with my brother in America. My mother started writing me letters in Korean, a language I could not fully understand at the time. Over a decade after she wrote me, I translated her letters into English. In one letter, she writes: …
Five Books About Coming of Age in the West Chelsea Bieker, Portland author, has recommendations for you at Literary Hub! Her novel, Godshot, has been described as a “fiercely written and endlessly readable” novel of a teenage girl in thrall to a magnetic–and terrifying–preacher who promises to save her dying town is “a godsend” …
Check out 1:02- 1:11 for an interview with PNW-raised talent, Hazel Newlevant, discussing their upcoming young adult graphic memoir, No Ivy League, with KidLitTV. The book comes out August 20, 2019 but is available for preorder now. When 17-year-old Hazel takes a summer job clearing ivy from the forest in Portland, Oregon, the only plan …
“An outstanding coming-of-age debut novel set in 1987, Brunt’s book tells the story of an eccentric 14-year-old, June Elbus, whose only friend, her Uncle Finn, dies of AIDS. A portrait Finn had painted of June and her sister ultimately receives national attention and unleashes a plethora of family secrets. June feels more alone than ever …
